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Thursday, January 28, 2010

"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:30)

Are we experiencing the "much more" in our life that God intends for us?

The life abundant?

The full life that He ordained?

Most of us would probably say that we are not in the "much more" category. But most of us probably desire to be there in a big way! I know that I do.

The key to the "much more" in this life lies in direct correlation to our obedience to God. When we are walking in His ways and we are consecrating our lives in Holiness to Him, we will certainly begin to see the "much more" of Christ start to take shape and thus take root in our spiritual lives.

The more we seek, the more we will find. The "much more" we seek, the "much more" we will find!

The deeper our relationship with God becomes, the deeper our desire to walk in obedience becomes. Once we begin to taste the richness of life walking in the Spirit, the more we will desire to ascend higher and higher in our relationship with Him.

We begin to reach up in anticipation of Him reaching down.

We learn to put our trust soley in the Lord.

We begin to understand the submissive state we have to achieve so we can stay in His will in all things.

Once we obtain the sweet and intimate relationship with Christ that He so desires, we begin to take such delight in our Savior!

He emerges to us in such a new light. We start to take marvelous joy in discovering who He is and who we are in Him.

Thus our "much more" in this life starts to become more and more evident in the days to come.

We begin to cherish the times we sit before our God and soak in the radiant glory of His presence.

At His Feet, we prostrate ourselves and embark in the wondrous rapture of fellowship with our precious Lord and Savior.

Drenching ourselves in His splendor, we tap into the awesome aspects of His grace that He so lovingly dispenses to us.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to minister to the depths of our souls, we begin to experience the "much more" of a life in Christ.

Sweet communion.

Glorious rapture.

Marvelous grace.

Deep and intimate fellowship.

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Father, thank you for the 'much more' that a life walking in your ways offers to us. Thank you for the precious gift of Your Word. Thank you for the love you bestow on us. Thank you for your sweet mercy and grace. May we walk in obedience to your commandments and experience the fullness of life made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son. You are life and You are breath to us. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Monday, January 25, 2010

How many of us greatly desire to experience life abundant in Christ? To experience the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives like never before?

I daresay all of us would love that type of an encounter with God. An encounter that would leave us breathless. An encounter that would leave us speechless. An encounter that would totally change us from the inside out.

We have to realize that brokenness is not just an emotion. It is so much more than that. It has to be a way of life. Brokenness is coming face to face with our own will and absolutely, undeniably, surrendering it to God. It is the complete submission of our life to Him.

Our brokenness will stem from the purposeful choice we make to alter our lifestyle. To alter it in such a way that we completely follow after God’s heart. To realize that we are totally dependent on God IN all things and FOR all things.

Broken hearts are the most receptive hearts. Broken hearts are the most responsive hearts. Through our brokenness, God can begin to restore us to wholeness. Wholeness that is the product of His marvelous, matchless grace.

The greatness of our sin is surpassed only by the greatness of His grace.

So, how do we walk that road to brokenness?

1. We boldly lay down our pride.

2. We strip away all pretenses.

3. We remove that cloak of self-reliance.

4. We choose to walk with Christ and submit to Him daily.

Our brokenness will expose us for who we really are. Sometimes that look we take of our inner self isn’t a pretty one. It can be hurtful, humbling and eye-opening. But once we allow that part to be exposed, we can begin to get honest with ourselves and with God.

And then, He can begin a good work in us. He can begin replacing those undesirable things that we stripped away with desirable things that honor and glorify Him. Step-by-step He works, and step-by-step we grow.

We become determined and purposed. We become more intent on being more like Him.

Our broken state is the beginning of our glorious, transforming journey into a more passionate pursuit of our Savior. We walk from brokenness to repentance. To forgiveness and grace. To a satisfying life of unbridled joy and peace that only comes from our heavenly Father.

We move from the guilt of the past to the promise of the future. We will then encounter Christ in an explosion of new truths. New awareness. New life in Him. New graces.

We will encounter Him in ways that will just amaze us and blow us away. In ways that will leave us in awe of the everyday graces of life in Him.

Those everyday graces that will cause our hearts to stretch toward heaven and that awaken a furious longing in our hearts for a deeper, more intimate relationship with our God. One that was paved on a broken road but concludes on the humble path of new mercies.

Thank you precious Father, that we can humble ourselves before You and that You are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us and restore us from brokenness to wholeness. Thank you that we don't get what we deserve, but that you lovingly give us grace and mercy. You are so worthy of our worship and our praise. May we always love you with all that we are and all that we could ever hope to be.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time"

(1 Peter 5:6)

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Thank you for your prayers for Jimbo and his team. They are safely home (minus their luggage!). Things could have been a lot worse, but we see where God's Hand was in the details and taking care of things in advance. The trip was huge success in that there were almost 500 salvations in the 2 weeks that the team was ministering in India. God gets all the praise and glory for His mighty work! He is working in India in a might way. Continue to pray for the people there and for the missionaries in that area. Thank you for your prayers!

Friday, January 22, 2010

I got word that Jimbo did get out of Mumbai and is in London and will be arriving in New York late this evening. He should land in Little Rock in the morning and then be home in the afternoon! Praise God !!! I had peace that he was OK. I knew that God was in control and that he would take care of my husband in all things. I had to submit to His will and just rest in His peace.

Thanks so much for your prayers!!!

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Ok, prayer warriors. Time to pray.

Jimbo left me a message yesterday at around 5:30 PM (6 AM India time). Their 2nd flight out of Mumbai, India had been canceled and they didn't know why. He didn't know what was going on but said he would let me know. I haven't heard from him in 12 hours. On FOX news this morning they said that India is under a terror alert due to a possible Al-Queda attack. I am very concerned, but I am just trusting my God. I know that this doesn't surprise Him and that He is in full control.

Please pray that my sweet fella will get home! Pray that he is resting in God's peace. Pray for protection of all the people at the airport. Pray that he is on a plane headed home.

I stand in awe of the grace marks in my life. They reveal. They renew. They restore.

So generously gifted to me by Christ.

Grace that I ponder...

Grace that I treasure.

The sweet grace of my salvation.

The promise of His Word.

I clutch it tightly in humble gratitude.

The grace of freedom. Freedom from the bondage of sin. Freedom in Christ.

Leaving behind the fingerprints of God.

Imprinted on my life.

Inscribed in my heart.

Everyday graces indeed.

Praise you, Lord. Thank you for all that You are in my life. Thank you for having such mercy and grace on such a sinner like me. I love you and I give you all praise, honor and glory that is so rightfully yours.

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As I type this, I just got off the phone with Jimbo. After a canceled flight from Mumbai, India 24 hours ago, due to plane trouble, they are finally about to board and depart from there in about 2 hours. They spent 33 hours in the airport, as there were no hotel rooms available. Please continue to pray for them as they have 20 hours of flying ahead of them. Thank you so much! They had over 50 salvations on this trip. Praise God for His mercy and His GRACE!

Monday, January 18, 2010

As I answered the phone yesterday morning before church, imagine my delight when my husbands voice greeted me all the way from India. They had just preached at an open-air church, which is against the law in India. You can 'teach' in a building, but you are not allowed to 'preach' in the open. The people have no building to meet in, so for now, they meet outside. Eagerly seeking the Word of God. Even among the persecution that they suffer there, they were seeking. It was late evening there (9 PM) and they were on their way to their last stop of the day for a dedication of a newly formed church. The people had been waiting 4 hours for them to arrive. Patiently and gladly waiting. Jimbo is always so amazed at the spiritual fervor people in other countries have for God once they get a taste of Him.

As I look around at the churches in our area, I see apathy and detachment. I see complacency and a lack of commitment. I see temples that are lying in ruins. Physical and spiritual.

In these perilous times we live in, it is hard to comprehend why our sanctuary's aren't full and even overflowing. It's hard to fathom that we, as a people of God, don't sense the urgency around us and desire to do something about it!

In view of the problems facing most of us these days, it appears that many have either lost their hope or perhaps haven't gotten to the place in their lives where they see or even recognize hope. I fear that our churches have failed to become the place where that hope is born.

Our church should be a safe haven. A place of shelter and security. A place to learn and grow. Our sanctuary's should loudly beckon to the weary and the faint.

When we feel like all else is failing, we should be able to run like the wind to the church. Fall at the feet of God and cry out for mercy and grace. For healing and direction. Seeking and yearning for a vision. A vision of Christ and what He can do in our lives. And we should know that we are welcome there.

When the world is closing in and we feel like we have nowhere to go, we need to know that the church is there for us. We need to know that the sweet fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ is there for us.

There to edify. To encourage. To walk beside us. To strengthen one another.

The church needs to be that one place where there is no condemnation.

Only love and forgiveness. The place where doubt meets truth. A place where hope abounds. Where we point others to Jesus. A place filled with the glory and splendor of God. A place where the Holy Spirit abounds and His presence dwells.

We need to know that He is just waiting for us to come. Waiting for us to lift our heads, throw out our arms, open our hearts and prepare to receive the awesome things He has for us. Things that will utterly astound us! Things that will remain in our hearts for all eternity.

The deep things.

The hidden things.

The treasures of the Lord.

It's time we start rebuilding that physical temple of our churches so that we can minister to the spiritual temples that enter in. Let's fill the temple with His glory! Let's fill it so full of His glory that it bursts at the seams and His glory fills the whole earth! Let's go eagerly and expectantly to the House of the Lord to give of ourselves in praise and worship. Let's give so that others can receive. Let's enter into His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts!

Friday, January 15, 2010

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"

(Romans 8:38-39)

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Lord, I need Your peace today.

My heart is filled with turmoil and anxiety. It is bordering on being filled with fear and I do not want that!

My spirit feels somewhat empty right now and I am desparate for just a glimpse of You today. I am in dire need of a touch from your merciful Hand.

I seek Your presence. A frantic search in the Word ensues.

I close my eyes and slow my breathing. I ponder on your amazing Word. I allow the scriptures that I have memorized to play like a slideshow through my mind. Each one that passes by, I grab hold of and hide it deep in my heart.

Grasping the Truth. Grasping the promises. Grasping Your Word as it speaks to my heart.

From the depths of my being I reach up and pray that You reach down.

Touch me.

Fill me.

Anoint me with Your peace.

Comfort me.

Use me.

Saturate me with Your grace.

My spirit calms. My mind fills with such overwhelming peace.

You have reached down. You have touched me. You have shown me who You are.

You have spoken quietly to my soul. I receive all that You have for me. Those empty places are being filled with You.

Your love. Your peace. Your Word. Your mercy. Your grace.

You are my strong tower and I run to You and I am safe.

Thank you Lord for your unending compassion. Thank you for your endless love and mercy. I love you with all that I am. You are my peace and my comfort. You are my Lord and my Savior. You are my life. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

We women desire a closer walk with You. Allow Your Word to speak to the very depths of our souls. Soak our spirits with wonder and awe. Fill us with love unspeakable. Let it drench us with peace unfathomable. Let it water those dry and thirsty places in our lives with such overflowing abundance.

We seek Your Presence with all that we are. Oh, Father, as we search for You, help us to find You. We long to bask in the shadow of Your glorious splendor.

As You lovingly tuck us under your protective wing, nestle us close in the sweet comfort of your unconditional love.

We long to hear your mighty voice. We long to feel your gentle but powerful touch.

We yearn for our hearts to beat in tandem with yours. We want the cry of our hearts to resound with the echoes of your heart.

As we search the scriptures, speak to us through your written word. Give us the discernment to know your voice and hear from you. Give us that desire to obey you.

Grow us, Lord. Fill us so full that the overflow just bubbles forth and envelopes others. Pour in that we may pour out.

We want to be women after your heart. We want to be servants used mightily in your kingdom.

Meet with us, Lord. Meet with us in such a way that we experience a true and life-changing encounter. Help us to discover new things. Help us to uncover old truths. Help us dare to be different.

Use us for the glory of You. May all we do and all we say only bring You honor and glory.

We love you Lord and we give you all the praise that is due You.

In your precious and holy name, Amen.

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As I write this post, my sweet fella (Jimbo) is 4 1/2 hours away from landing in Mumbai, India. They left almost 24 hours ago and I know that they are exhausted. He will then have another 2 short airplane trips to reach their final destination which I cannot disclose. Please be in prayer for this team that will be ministering in some very dangerous and volatile places. They will be working about 18 hours a day on the ground doing various types of ministry. They will be discipling new christian men and helping the set up churches and helping to teach them how to disciple others. One of the churches that this group helped to build a few years ago, was just recently burned by arsonists. The pastor and his wife were locked inside the church and the congregation was forced to watch the burn alive. PLEASE pray for my husband and the others. They are literally risking their lives and they are doing it only for the glory of God. Pray for their protection and pray for God to work mightily through them during their trip.

Literally, allow it to take over any conscious and rational thought process that is trying to peek through?

And then when any resemblence of peace starts to settle in, that wave of undeniable, heart-stopping, fearfulness just swoops right in and just single-handedly knocks peace right off of its proverbial feet.

How can a Christian woman who is firmly grounded in her faith allow this to happen?

How can a woman who knows that her God is sovereign and powerful let an emotion like that grab hold and threaten her like that?

How in the world could I let myself get wrapped up in the tight fist of fear when I know clearly that the Word of God tells me not to fear?

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

The devil knows just what our weakest traits are and he knows our areas where we are most vulnerable. And you better believe that the devil can and will use that to his greatest advantage every single time we give him the opportunity to do so.

All too often, we just leave ourselves wide open for him to attack.

I don't deal with this type of fear very often. Praise God for that. But there is one particuliar thing that I fear in a BIG way and satan loves nothing better than to torment me with the "what-if's" of it. Most of the time, I stay strong and am able to confront the fear and the lies that the devil tries to convince me are truth. I am able to confront and dismiss them only with the help of my precious Lord and Savior.

For whatever reason, this past week the devil was able (if only for a short period) to cause me a few days of misery as I allowed this unsubstantiated fear to wreak havoc on my spirit! It literally was driving me a little crazy as I just allowed it to begin to take control of my every thought! How absurd is that? How utterly ridiculous was that on my part?

And all this took place after I had such a sweet time of communion with Jesus on Tuesday! The devil knew that I had met with Him in a mighty way and he just couldn't stand it.

Thank goodness, as I kept in the Word, the Lord was able to cut the old lying devil off at the pass. As I remained solidly in the scriptures and literally scoured every devotion book I own, I found peace everywhere I looked. I found Him in each place that my frenzy took me. God was busy calming my nerves and settling my fear.

One thing I learned from this. We have got to keep ourselves grounded deeply in the Word. We have got to keep ourselves imbedded in the scriptures at all times!

We need to KNOW His Word and we need to KNOW the Truth of His Word.

When we feel things like fear, that we know without a shadow of a doubt are NOT from God, we need to immediately rebuke it and cast it out. We need to replace that thought with a TRUTH from His Word, and stand firm on it. We need to stand on the promises of His Word. We need to quote the Truth of His Word over and over to ourselves until it just soaks in our spirit.

I am so thankful that God allowed me to emerge from this unscathed. He showed me mercy. He showed me grace. He lovingly guided me to His Word and led me to the fountain of Truth. I drank in that Truth deeply and let is satiate that thirst within me. As it settled and calmed my spirit, I was able to see Him more clearly. Once again, He met me there in my need.

Praise you, Jesus, for your power and your might. Praise you for the Truth of Your Word. Praise you for loving and giving. You are my peace. I love you with all of my heart.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Do I believe in miracles? Oh, yes. I believe. I have seen miracles. I AM a miracle. My daughter, Melissa, is a miracle.

When I think back to that Friday morning, November 27th, God readily reminds me of what He did in Melissa's life beginning that very day. Indeed, a miracle had just started taking shape.

After several days of feeling bad and not getting any better, I knew that it was time for Melissa to go to the doctor. She didn't want to go. She said she was too weak to get up and get in the car. All the doctors offices were closed due to the Thankskgiving holiday, but I finally managed to get her up and out the door and we headed to the ER at our local, small-town hospital. I was still thinking that she had the flu and just needed some medicine and then we would be on our way home.

When we got there, the nurse asked Melissa what was wrong and she said in a very soft voice, "I think I have malaria". I wish you could have seen the look on the nurses face as she took a step back and just kinda looked at us both for a moment.

Melissa quietly told her it wasn't contagious, but explained about her trip to Africa for 10 weeks and said that she had been home for 10 days, so with the incubation period, it was possible that she did have it. Melissa saw a lot of malaria while she was working at the hospital in Cameroon, Africa. She was familiar with the symptoms and treatment of it. Most of the time they gave them medicine for 3 days and then they went home, so she didn't seem too worried about it.

As I really began looking at Melissa while we were waiting, I noticed that her eyes and face seemed very yellow. She had been in bed the last few days in the dark, so I hadn't really had a chance to see her face very well. I quietly took out my compact to look at my eyes in that room lighting and my eyes were very white. I handed the mirror to Melissa so she could look at hers and she was a little taken aback and just looked at me with fear in her eyes. It was at that moment that I knew there was something seriously wrong with my baby girl. My heart began beating fast. But, He was there.

As the girl from the lab came in to draw blood, I had her look at Melissa's face and eyes. She agreed that she was very yellow and after she drew several tubes of blood, left to go find the doctor.

The doctor on call sent for another doctor, Dr. Toe Ho, who is from the Philippines, and she was very familiar with malaria. Once she arrived, things started moving and they began drawing more blood and asking many questions. I had told her about Melissa's eyes and skin color and she said that she was definitely jaundiced.

When Dr. Toe Ho came back in, she told me that she herself had done a blood smear and lyced the red blood cells and that based on her knowledge, she was 99% sure that she had malaria. She also noted that her platelets were extremely low - 19,000 - and said that Melissa needed to be at a bigger hospital, where they could give her platelets if necessary.

After 5 hours at the ER in Oak Grove, Melissa was headed to Monroe by ambulance. I was alone as my husband had left that morning for New Orleans to watch a football game. He didn't have his vehicle and had no way home. I was scared and I was angry. My heart was racing and anxiety was threatening to take over. I began to pray and to seek comfort in the Lord. And He was there.

The next 12 hours are a blur. We wound up in the ER trauma room all night until they could find her a room in ICU. The doctor on call, Dr. Warnke, was from India and he was very familiar with malaria - God just kept putting the right doctors in the right place.

They spent the better part of the night and morning researching on the computer and trying to find her the medicine that she needed. They contacted CDC in Atlanta and by that afternoon on Saturday, her clinical trial doses of Artesunate and Malarone, were being flown to Monroe on a Delta flight and being picked up by a pharmacist and delivered to the hospital. Her first dose was given with much fanfare. Many came to watch, as this was something new and different.

Final diagnosis was P. Falciparum severe complicated malaria. The parasites had taken over her red blood cells. They had destroyed her platelets. They had settled in her liver and spleen, causing enlargement and pain. Her AST liver enzymes were in the 300's - normal is 5-40. Her hemoglobin fell to below 6 (normal is 12-15). She was almost at the point of blood transfusion, but God took over. Her bilrubin was over 16 - normal is .3-1 mg/dL. Her platelets dropped overnight to 11,000. She was 1,000 away from getting platelets. But God took over. She had fever spikes to 105. She was lethargic and weak. She hurt all over her body. She was retaining fluid from the systematic nature of the illness. She was a very sick girl, or as Dr. Parker put it, "she's one sick little puppy."

Each step of the way, God was there. He was guiding, leading, comforting, strengthening. He was performing a miracle on Melissa. He was letting others see His power and might. He was helping me learn to lean on Him more readily. He was there.

Over the next 6 days, Melissa slowly began to heal. Her counts began to normailze and she began to have a little more energy. By the time we brought her home, she was still very weak, but she was on the road to full recovery. And God was still working.

At her last 3 check-ups, she has steadily gotten better results. Her last lab work showed her liver enzymes to be normal for the first time. ALT was 32 and AST was 36! Her platelets were 274,000. Her bilirubin was 1.8 ( a little high, but still very good.) Her hemoglobin was still only 10, but he said she was making so many red blood cells, that the differential of them was causing it to be a little low. She goes back on the 28th for more blood work, since her numbers were still a little off.

Did God perform a miracle? Oh, yes. He took my sick little girl, and put the right people in the right place at just the right time. He healed her body. He healed her soul. He was there.

Did this miracle impact others? Oh, indeed. Doctors that came in heard us giving glory to God in all things. Nurses heard the gospel. People in the ICU waiting room were witness to His sovereignty and power. Everyone that asks about her gets to hear about the miracle of her healing.

After 5 weeks, Melissa was finally feeling good enough to get out of the house. She went with a group of 40 kids from her church in Baton Rouge to the Passion 2010 conference in Atlanta. She wasn't feeling well as they left that Saturday morning at 4 am, and called me crying, but I prayed with her over the phone and she was determined to go. I told her if the devil was that intent on causing her to miss it, that God has something amazing for her to experience! She is having a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing about her trip. God saved her for a purpose. He saved her spiritually and he saved her physically.

Friday, January 1, 2010

One of God’s greatest desires is for us to seek Him. He wants us to yearn for a closer relationship with Him. He wants us to long to know Him for who He is and not just for what He can do for us. Not for what we desire of Him. But to seek Him so we can serve Him.

When we begin to seek after God and our only goal is to know Him deeper and more intimately, we will find Him in such an eye-opening and heart changing way, that our lives will be forever altered.

When our hearts desire is nothing other than a growing and more intense knowledge of God, we will experience an overflow of His Spirit.

He will make Himself known to us. He will reveal His ways mightily in our lives. He will manifest His presence in us like never before. He will empower us. He will become our life and breath. Our very existence.

He will become our bread of life. Our living water. Our sustaining, life-giving substance. He will be our all in all.

God wants us to crave that closeness with Him. He longs for us to dig deeper. When we dig deeper, we enable God to make Himself known to us in a way that draws us into a more intimate relationship with Him. In a way that will transform us.

John 16:14 tell us, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you.”

God reveals Himself to us through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals Truth. By this Truth, we obtain the knowledge that is necessary for us to walk that path that leads to fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. His purpose. For us.

We will only be privy to the direction He has for us when we are found genuinely seeking after Him and Him only. Our desire has to be nothing other than to know Him. Not what He wants us to do. Not where He wants us to go. But just to know Him.

Once we begin to discover God and uncover who He is really is, then God can start to work in our lives. We can then begin to experience His awesome, revealing power up close and personal. We can then begin to have the discernment necessary for us to be able to determine His will for us. He can begin to show us things that we never imagined. He can begin to do things in our lives that we never dreamed possible. He can begin to lead us along paths we never thought we would travel and we will just naturally follow.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

One thing we have to remember though is that when we begin to earnestly seek Him, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes to find Him. There will surely be some sacrifice involved. Some ‘self’ that has to get out of the way. Some pride that needs to meet humility. Some priorities that have to be rearranged. God must become our number one focus.

One thing is certain. It will definitely be worth whatever it takes. To find God and to really Know Him will be the greatest accomplishment we could ever aspire for.

I pray that we all passionately seek Him and allow Him to miraculously transform us into mighty women of God. Women after His heart. Women who exemplify holiness. Women who desire to be used as instruments for His glory. Women who will find Him…